Earlier this spring, we were invited — OK, that’s actually not true, we invited ourselves — on a hiking expedition up the majestic 3,971-foot Buffalo Mountain in nearby Floyd County with Department of Geosciences Assistant Professor Tina Dura as part of her Field Observations class.
While atop the mountain, Dura helped 20 undergraduate students in the class make topographic maps, describe rock outcrops, and collect metadata on rock samples. Students also developed a conceptual model of how the landscape formed over hundreds of millions of years, according to Dura.
We are truly blessed to live and learn in such beautiful landscapes.
According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s website, Buffalo Mountain is one of the most significant natural areas in Virginia, supporting 15 rare plants, three rare animals, and nine significant natural communities.